The 'Scorpion' Series
by Lara Croft2
Summary: My first attempt at a fic/series. Kathryn realises the truth...
1. New Beginnings

New Beginnings.  
  
"Disobeying your orders was the worst thing I've ever had to do"  
  
How right could he of been? Kathryn stood there and gathered her thoughts for a moment. After everything they'd been through over the past three years. She had come to trust her first officer, and now, in a time of crisis he had disobeyed her orders. But what if he hadn't of?  
  
"In a way, I'm glad you did" she replied, with her back to Chakotay,  
  
"Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't of. I doubt we'd both be standing here right now" she added.  
  
"I suppose we'd be serving the collective" he mused. Kathryn turned, "Perhaps" she replied, with a hint of a smile.  
  
"We both had our different opinions Kathryn, only this was one of the times when we didn't agree with each other"  
  
"It's part of the job Chakotay, decision making. We can't always agree with everything, we have to have our disagreements sometimes, and I guess, this was one of them"  
  
Chakotay approached Kathryn; he put his hand on her shoulder. She weakened slightly at the touch.  
  
"I've said this once and I'm going to say it again. Whatever happens and whenever it happens, I'll always be here for you"  
  
"Through thick and thin eh?" replied Kathryn, slightly sarcastically. Chakotay flinched angrily.  
  
"Don't make fun of me Kathryn, I mean every word of it and you know it" he protested, "We've been through a lot over the past three years. Since we entered this quadrant, and united as one crew, I've always wanted the best for you, I've tried my hardest not to disagree with you and to stand by you"  
  
Kathryn placed her own hand on top of Chakotay's, which was still resting on her shoulder.  
  
"I know you mean what you say Chakotay" she replied, her voice cracking slightly. She took a deep breath, "And I'm grateful for what you do. You're a wonderful man and I don't think anybody could have made a better first officer than you have"  
  
"Tuvok to Janeway" came the interruption, Chakotay smiled. "Saved by the bell huh" he said.  
  
"Janeway here"  
  
"Captain, Lieutenant Torres has informed me that Impulse Engines are operational"  
  
"I'm on my way to the bridge Tuvok, Janeway out"  
  
"Duty calls" she said. Chakotay held out his hand, "Coming?" Kathryn looked at Chakotay's hand, "It just goes to show how strong our friendship is, by looking at how it has endured the past few days' events" she said, taking his hand.  
  
"It's what friendship's all about Kathryn" came the reply. They both left the holodeck. But it could become so much more she thought to herself.  
  
To be continued. 


	2. This is not happening

"It's what friendship's all about Kathryn" came the reply. They both left the holodeck. But it could become so much more she thought to herself…  
  
This is not happening…  
  
It had been three weeks since the Borg 'incident'. After the events that followed, and the 'Warp Core' episode where a group of so-called 'needy' aliens had used the core to bargain with, life on Voyager was slowly returning to normal. The Borg drone, Seven of Nine had began to adjust to a human lifestyle. The majority of her Borg implants had been removed and she visibly looked human, apart from her optical implant above her right eye. Kathryn had made a decision to help Seven adjust as much as possible. Seven was Kathryn's protégée.   
  
The Gamma Shift had just ended as Tom Paris strode onto the bridge that morning, looking pleased with himself as usual. He relieved the Ensign on the conn and logged in on his console. A message was waiting for him, probably Harry he thought to himself. He was mesmerised to find it was from B'Elanna.   
  
Hey Flyboy, meet you in holodeck 2, 1930 hours. Be there... B'Elanna...  
  
He took it into his head that she must be inviting him out on a date and suddenly felt a lot happier than he has two minutes ago. As he concentrated on the conn, the rest of the Alpha Shift entered the bridge.   
  
"I see you're early this morning Mr. Paris" said Kathryn, a smile donning her face.  
  
"Yes ma'am. Glad you noticed" replied Tom, cheerfully as another message flashed up on his console, this time it was from Harry, who had just taken his post at Operations.  
  
Early on the job Tom? Who are you and what have you done with Tom Paris?   
  
Tom retaliated with; it's me Harry, I just decided that being early for once would be a good idea. He turned to see Harry with an expression of shock, and grinned at him.   
  
Kathryn had just received a report from Tuvok when she suddenly felt the need to get away from the bridge. At first she'd thought nothing of it, but her sudden desire to retreat to her ready room didn't go unnoticed. Chakotay had seen the look on her face, he hadn't pretended not to either. His concern over Kathryn's behaviour over the past few weeks was increasing. He'd waited almost half an hour to see whether she came back to the bridge. When she didn't appear, he decided to go and see her.  
When he entered the ready room, he was greeted with the sight of a sleeping Captain slumped on the sofa underneath the window. *So that's the reason why she's been acting strangely, not getting enough sleep* he'd said to himself, but then realised the truth, it all lead back to the Borg. He approached her and sat beside her sleeping form. He stayed, watching her sleep. She looked so peaceful and content with herself. When she began to stir, he carefully stood.  
  
"Chakotay" she mumbled, groggily, "How long?" she asked,  
  
"Almost half an hour...I think. I only just came in here. Are you alright Kathryn?" he replied.   
  
Kathryn stood up and stretched wearily. She yawned.  
  
"I'm...I'm fine Chakotay, really. I'm just tired" she said.   
  
"I don't think that's all that's wrong Kathryn, is it? If you wanna talk, then I'm right here. I know something's been bothering you over the past few weeks. A lot has happened, I know, but I'm worried about you" explained Chakotay.  
  
"Nothing is wrong with me!" argued Kathryn, her voice raised and agitated. This wasn't her at all. *Why can't he leave me alone? He's your friend, that's why...*  
  
"Look Chakotay, I've got work to do-" she began to make her way to the door, but Chakotay stopped her.  
  
"Kathryn! You can't keep straying from your feelings, something's bothering you and I want to know what it is" argued Chakotay, "Please, tell me. That way, we'll both feel better" he added, his voice toned down.  
  
Kathryn thought for a moment, and then decided that Chakotay had won.  
  
"Okay, if you think its necessary" she said, moving toward the replicator, "Want anything?" She was answered with a "no" from Chakotay.  
"Coffee, black" was her order. Once that had materialised, she proceeded to sit with Chakotay on the sofa.  
  
"So..." she said, taking a sip out of her 'holy grail' that was her mug of coffee, "Where do we start then?" she added.  
  
"Why have you been acting so...difficultly lately? It's like you've changed somehow"  
  
"And you wonder why I've changed? I'll tell you something Chakotay, I have changed, and as far as I'm concerned I've changed for the worst. Everything that happens during our journey changes me, but this time, it's for the worst" she explained. There was a pause of silence. "You've heard what you want to hear, now just leave me alone"   
  
What else could he do? Kathryn was obviously in no mood to tell the truth, or was she telling him the truth. He did what she wanted, and left her alone.   
  
Kathryn felt so alone. She felt so angry with herself; she picked up the empty coffee cup and threw it against the wall, shattering it into tiny pieces. She collapsed in a heap of tears on the floor. Obviously hearing the impact of the cup on the wall, Chakotay had come rushing back to find her on the floor.  
  
"Kathryn? What's wrong?" he asked, as he went over to her.  
  
"Nothing! Just leave me alone!" she protested in between sobs, "I'm sorry Chakotay" she then said, "I'm so sorry"  
  
"Why are you apologising Kathryn? You've done nothing wrong" asked Chakotay, smiling slightly.  
  
"I've done so much wrong Chakotay" she kept saying. It was rapidly confusing Chakotay.  
  
"What? What have you done that's so wrong Kathryn?" he asked, as she sat up and faced him. She got closer to him.   
  
"This" she said her voice almost a whisper. She moved her lips toward his own, and kissed him lightly. He responded by deepening the kiss.   
  
"This is not happening" were Chakotay's words 


	3. Slow Progress

Slow Progress  
  
It had been 2 days since the kiss in the ready room, and already there was a visible difference to Kathryn. She had purposely been avoiding Chakotay, only coming onto the bridge when necessary, and when she was on the bridge, she tried her best not to look at Chakotay. He had noticed the change, and was worried that he had lost his Kathryn forever. He didn't want to be possessive of her, but he knew that from the first time he set eyes on her that she was the one for him. The Alpha Shift ended, Chakotay handed the bridge over to Tuvok. He'd noticed Kathryn hadn't emerged from hiding in her ready room. He'd decided he'd had enough of her avoiding him, and proceeded to find out what was wrong with her. He entered to find her working at her desk. She ignored him.  
  
"Kathryn?" he said. She didn't look up at him. "What's wrong with you?"  
  
"I'm in no mood to be talking Chakotay, I've got work to do" she answered, quietly, concentrating on her work.  
  
"I want some answers Kathryn. What the hell is wrong with you? You can't go around just pretending that our kiss meant nothing whatsoever. You might be able to just forget about it, but I know I can't" explained Chakotay, "You're afraid of the truth Kathryn, and you know it"  
  
For the first time since Chakotay had entered the room, Kathryn looked up at him.  
  
"I'm sorry" she replied,  
  
"Sorry? Is that all you can say?"  
  
"I wasn't myself" began Kathryn, she stood up from her desk and walked over to the window, "It was like you said, and we'd all been through a difficult time"  
  
"So that's all I was, a quick kiss to calm you down" said Chakotay, he sounded angry.  
  
"No-I didn't mean it like that-." he was gone before she could finish.  
  
She was restless that evening. Hopes of getting an early night were definitely gone. She got out of bed and got herself some coffee. Sitting down on the sofa, Kathryn began to think about the past few weeks' events. *Where did I go wrong?* she thought to herself, *you went wrong by covering up your true feelings* was her minds answer. She dismissed the thought at first, but realised that it was the truth. She had been covering up her true feelings with her Captain's mask, and it had resulted in a mess. But could she really face up to tell Chakotay how she felt about him? In her mind she could, but when it came down to actually telling him, the mask fell into place again. *get a hold of yourself woman, tell the man how you feel!*  
  
Chakotay couldn't sleep either. He had been pacing his quarters for almost half an hour trying to think things through and to clear his mind. But all he could think about was Kathryn, their kiss and how she had been behaving for the past few days. Blaming it on himself wasn't the answer; it was up to Kathryn to make the decision. *she knows how you feel about her* he knew that for a fact. Perhaps he should go and tell her right now that she was avoiding the truth. No. It was up to her to admit it. The next morning, Kathryn entered the bridge looking the worst for wear. Tom smiled to himself, *she's been on the booze all night moping over the big guy* he thought. Tuvok noted that the Captain had the tell-tale blue lines under her eyes. It was obvious that she had had trouble sleeping.  
  
"Tuvok-you have the bridge until Commander Chakotay arrives" she said, and with that she disappeared into the realm of her ready room.  
  
"Things must be bad" said Tom aloud,  
  
"Mr. Paris, it is not in your capacity to judge the Captain's behaviour by her actions and appearance" retorted Tuvok, "However, I must raise the fact that a possible reason for Captain Janeway's variable behaviour over the past few days would be that the recent events involving the Borg have put a considerable amount of pressure on the Captain" Tom grinned, *yeah, that and Chakotay*. Harry was about to add his opinion when Chakotay entered the bridge. He didn't look to happy either.  
  
"Bad night?" asked Tom.  
  
"Shut it Paris" replied Chakotay.  
  
"Sorry I asked"  
  
They practically ignored each other for the next three days, only talking when it had something to do with their work. By now almost everyone was concerned about their behaviour. Neelix, the 'devoted Morale Officer' was bothered about the behaviour of Voyagers' command team. He didn't like to intrude on the affairs between the Captain and Chakotay, but even he knew that they both had feelings for each other. He'd lost Kes recently, after her mental powers had increased and were a danger to the ship. He had respected her decision and knew it was for the best. He missed her deeply, but Neelix knew that even Kes would do something about the Captain and Commander's current behaviour pattern. Acting in her place, Neelix proceeded to the bridge to tell Kathryn Janeway just what he thought of the current situation.  
  
Presently occupied by a never ending pile of ships statistics reports, Kathryn Janeway was beginning to realise that she needed some help with them. But it was Chakotay who usually helped her with reports, and they weren't exactly in the best of situations regarding friendship. *Why did you do it?* she thought to herself, why did she kiss Chakotay in the first place, after all that kiss seemed to be the cause of the problems. But there was more to it than that, much more. Hidden feelings that had resurfaced, New Earth was one thing that was presently on Kathryn's mind. Her and Chakotay had been at peace with themselves there, and Kathryn knew that if Tuvok had hailed them a few days or even weeks later, they'd probably of 'advanced' with their feeling of each other and embarked on an intimate relationship. Only in her dreams though, was her fantasy of a romantic relationship with her First Officer. Kathryn's thoughts were interrupted by the ready room door chime. Hoping it wasn't Chakotay, she braced herself.  
  
"Come in" she said. Luckily for her, Neelix entered. "Ah, Neelix. What can I do for you?" she asked, lightening her tone of voice.  
  
"Uh, well Captain, I actually came to talk to you about something that's been bothering me.well, when I say me I'd say that it probably involves some of the crew.err, make that the majority of the crew" explained Neelix. Kathryn knew what was coming. About to refuse his 'query', she thought for a moment. Neelix was good at giving advice in these kinds of situations, and his suggestions for resolutions were almost always successful for the most part.  
  
"Please Neelix, sit down and share with me your dilemma" replied Kathryn, smiling. Neelix sat down on the sofa where Kathryn had indicated, whilst she grabbed a cup of coffee from the replicator and then joined him.  
  
"So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" questioned Kathryn.  
  
"I hope you don't mind me having this conversation with you Captain, because it concerns your.how can I put this?" wondered Neelix.  
  
"It's alright Mr. Neelix, you can say it. You came to talk to me about my relationship with Commander Chakotay, because you've noticed our current 'situation'. I'd like to hear what you've got to say Neelix, really I would. The fact that we're hardly talking at all is bothering me, and I miss the Commander's good advice" explained Kathryn, "Please, tell me what you think"  
  
"Well Captain, I and most of the crew have noticed that you seem a bit 'uneasy' around the commander lately, you've been trying to avoid him. We all know that you've been under a lot of stress lately, and the commander has relieved you of some of it, but Captain, if you carry on with your present behaviour, the effects are going to start showing in the crew's behaviour" replied Neelix, "And personally, I wouldn't like to see you and Commander Chakotay constantly arguing and sparring with each other" he added.  
  
Kathryn sighed, "Thank you for your concern Neelix, but the thing is, and it's my fault we're like we are now"  
  
"Your fault?"  
  
She took a deep breath, "The other day.Chakotay and I.I kissed him" revealed Kathryn, "And I don't know why. I know that he has feelings for me too, but I don't know whether I'd be able to give those feelings back. I have too many responsibilities as the Captain of this ship to."  
  
Neelix interrupted, "Forgive me Captain, but there's no reason why you shouldn't embark on a different kind of relationship with commander Chakotay. You both love each other, it's not difficult to see that, you get on well, you laugh and joke together. I can see why the being a Captain part throws you off, but its part of a relationship. You both have other responsibilities and yes, they can interfere with your relationship and vice versa. Please Captain, consider what you have to gain and what you have to loose. I don't want to see you and the commander at each other's throats any longer, do something to resolve your situation. Confront your feelings Captain, please"  
  
"Is that a plea?" joked Janeway. Neelix smiled,  
  
"No Captain, it just made it sound better with a bit of a plea at the end" replied Neelix.  
  
"I'll think about what you said Mr. Neelix, and if you ever need to talk with me again, don't hesitate to"  
  
Neelix stood up and made his way to the door, "I'd best be getting back to the mess hall, I left Ensign Parsons keeping an eye on tonight's special, 'Spaghetti Bolognaise a la Neelix', something I found in the ship's database, apparently Spaghetti Bolognaise is Italian of origin from Earth, I just changed it a bit" explained Neelix. Kathryn just hoped it was better than Leola Root soup.  
  
"Thank-you Neelix" she said. Neelix nodded and left the ready room. He had left Kathryn with a lot to think about.  
  
Later that evening, after Chakotay had finished his duty shift, he entered his quarters; relieved somehow that he was away from the bridge and could think about his current situation with Kathryn. He had done nothing wrong, it was her. She had to confront her feelings. He thought back to their kiss. Her lips had been soft, just the way he had imagined them. When they'd been on New Earth, he had imagined kissing her many times, hoping that it would one day happen. It had happened, but just not the way he had hoped. Chakotay leaned back into the sofa, feeling tired after the long day.  
  
("Janeway to Chakotay")  
  
"Chakotay here" he replied, not happy by the sudden interruption.  
  
("Can you meet me in the mess hall?")  
  
"What? Now?"  
  
("Yes Commander, Now. Janeway out")  
  
To Be continued. 


	4. Sealed

("Janeway to Chakotay")  
  
"Chakotay here" he replied, not happy by the sudden interruption.  
  
("Can you meet me in the mess hall?")  
  
"What? Now?"  
  
("Yes Commander, Now. Janeway out")  
  
To be continued.  
  
Sealed  
  
The mess hall was in a curtain of darkness. If it wasn't for the flicker of a single candle burning on a table in the middle of the empty room, you'd think there was nobody there. Chakotay walked closer to where the candle was burning, to find Kathryn seated. Alone, although she was still in her uniform.  
  
"I didn't think you'd come" she said, "After what's happened"  
  
"It sounded urgent" replied Chakotay, sitting at the table.  
  
"We need to talk" began Kathryn, "I realise I've made some pretty bad mistakes and I want to make things right between us"  
  
"I'm listening" was all Chakotay said.  
  
"Firstly, I want to apologise for my behaviour the other day. I was out of line and should have given you a straight answer"  
  
Chakotay shifted in his seat, he was beginning to feel uncomfortable. He didn't like the direction of her conversation.  
  
"What I'm trying to say Chakotay is." she paused for a moment. Chakotay prepared for the worst. "The other day when we kissed, I felt different. Everything around me disappeared. It was just you and me together.I love you so much Chakotay." she paused, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to spill, but a single tear fell down her left cheek. Chakotay started into her blue eyes.  
  
"You have no idea of how much I've wanted for you to say that Kathryn" he said, trying to fight back his own tears, "And now you've said it.I don't know what to do" he added, smiling slightly. Kathryn laughed, tears now freely falling down her cheeks.  
  
"Well.you could start by kissing me" she replied.  
  
Chakotay stood from his seat and walked around to Kathryn's seat. He held out his hand, and she took it. He pulled her to her feet and into his arms. They looked at each other for a few moments.  
  
"I guess I should kiss you now" his voice was almost a whisper. Kathryn drew in closer, until their lips finally met in a passionate kiss, full of meaning and desire. Neither of them didn't care if they were kissing in the mess hall. Kathryn wondered what a crewmember would think if they were to walk in and find the Captain kissing her First Officer. She suddenly pulled away.  
  
"What's wrong?" questioned Chakotay, confused.  
  
"Nothing it's just.I'd prefer it if we had a little more privacy that's all" replied Kathryn, looking around the mess hall.  
  
"Ah, I see what you mean. Frankly, I don't personally find the idea of Tom Paris walking in on us in the middle of something personal" remarked Chakotay.  
  
"So." began Kathryn, closing the space between herself and Chakotay, "Why don't we do something about it?" she said, as they began to kiss again.  
  
"Like.where?" asked Chakotay in between kisses.  
  
"My place" replied Kathryn.  
  
They both left the mess hall, not hand in hand as Kathryn and Chakotay, but as Captain and First Officer. They were again best friends, but had something more to share. Something that they had both wanted for a long time.  
  
The following morning, Neelix arrived to begin on cooking breakfast. He paused when he noticed a burned out candle left on the table where the Captain had been sat when he'd left, as well as a PADD. He picked it up. All it read was, 'Thank-you- KJ'  
  
END.or is it? 


End file.
